


Up, Up, and Away

by cantfuckinbelievethis



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Fluff, Flying, Getting Together, M/M, small burst of anxiety, we love a summer in maine fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-10
Updated: 2018-09-10
Packaged: 2019-07-10 15:29:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15952205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cantfuckinbelievethis/pseuds/cantfuckinbelievethis
Summary: ‘You’d better know how to fly this fucking thing,’ Derek warned as they eyed Dex’s uncle’s old, single engine airplane.Dex snorted as he opened the door, tossing his bag into the back. ‘No, Nurse, I’m gonna convince you to fly in a plane with me when I have no idea how to operate it.’Derek shot him a flat look. ‘Wouldn’t be surprised. You’d probably pack a parachute for yourself and leave me to plummet to my death.’





	Up, Up, and Away

**Author's Note:**

> I'm having a shit time with writing at the moment so here have some fluffy nonsense

‘You’d better know how to fly this fucking thing,’ Derek warned as they eyed Dex’s uncle’s old, single engine airplane.   
  
    Dex snorted as he opened the door, tossing his bag into the back. ‘No, Nurse, I’m gonna convince you to fly in a plane with me when I have no idea how to operate it.’   
  
    Derek shot him a flat look. ‘Wouldn’t be surprised. You’d probably pack a parachute for yourself and leave me to plummet to my death.’   
  
    ‘But then who would fill every day of my life with frustration and annoyance?’ Dex taunted back. ‘C’mon, _Derek_ , thought you wanted the whole Maine experience?’ He held the door open for Derek to get in.   
  
    ‘Oh, what a gentleman,’ Derek teased, before climbing in and settling into his seat. ‘Guess I did say that.’   
  
    Dex climbed in after him, handing him a headset as he plugged in his seatbelt. ‘Buckle up.’   
  
    Derek sighed, but followed instructions before turning to the millions of dials in front of him with a troubled look. ‘You swear you have a license for this thing?’   
  
    ‘For the last time, yes — it’s the only big present my family ever got me, and I had to miss out on the next three Christmas and birthday presents to get it, so I think I remember it.’ Dex messed around with a few dials before continuing thoughtfully, ‘Well, it’s just a recreational license, but still.’   
  
    Derek tensed suddenly, fingers curling around the edge of his seat — which, by the way, seemed to be held together with duct tape. A small ball of dread settled into his stomach as he laughed nervously. ‘What, you can only fly at parties?’   
  
    ‘No, it means I can only fly within 50 miles of my home airport, and I can only have one passenger at a time.’ Dex frowned as he finally seemed to notice Derek’s terror by his pitiful joke. ‘Nursey?’   
  
    ‘Hmm?’ Derek hummed in response, exhaling slowly as he kept his gaze on the horizon. To his surprise, a few seconds later, a warm hand pried one of his off the seat.   
  
    ‘Derek?’   
  
    He looked up from the freckled hand cradling his own and at Dex, who suddenly looked concerned. ‘What?’   
  
    ‘We don’t have to do this,’ Dex said, sounding disappointed but genuine. ‘It was just an idea, but if it makes you this nervous, we don’t have to.’   
  
    Derek eyed Dex’s expression for a moment, before shaking his head and pulling his hand away. ‘No, we’re doing this. I trust you.’ He looked determinedly out the windscreen before looking back at Dex, feeling a warmth in his chest at the way the corner of his mouth pulled up. ‘You’re not going to let anything happen to me, right?’   
  
    Slowly, the smile pulling at the corner of his mouth spread across the whole thing and it made Derek’s heart beat faster for a better reason, this time. ‘Obviously not.’   
  
    Derek laughed slightly, echoing to himself, ‘Obviously not.’   
  
    ‘Alright, Nurse,’ Dex said, turning back to the controls as he started up the plane. ‘Get ready.’ 

* * *

Although it turned out that Dex knew what he was doing, Derek couldn’t say he wasn’t happy when they landed. There was an airstrip not too far from what was apparently Dex’s favourite place in Maine. So once they landed, Dex took his bag out from the back and announced they would be walking twenty minutes more to get there. Derek sighed at the idea of more travel, but followed obediently.   
  
    Once they got there, Derek could admit it was worth it. Through a clearing in a small forest, there was a huge lake that glinted beautifully in the sunlight. It was definitely a place that he would love to sit in alone one day, composing poems and sipping some coffee. For now, it was a place that he was at with Dex, and that was also pretty wonderful.   
  
    Derek blinked in surprise as Dex brought out a picnic blanket, some juice, and some sandwiches. When Dex caught Derek staring, he blushed bright red and scowled. ‘What?!’   
  
    Derek, knowing he should probably tread carefully to avoid an argument, just said, ‘Thanks…for setting this up. It’s nice.’   
  
    Dex blinked, colour fading from his cheeks back to normal. ‘Oh. No worries.’   
  
    They sat down, staring out at the lake as they ate. Dex even put on some music — some folk band that they both shared an interest in — and they let the atmosphere calm them rather than speaking. Derek stared at Dex’s profile as he gazed at the lake.   
  
    He had never expected to be invited to Maine for a week this summer, but upon arriving in Maine, Derek was happy he was. There was something different about Dex here. Sure, around his family, he was still tense and grumpy — sometimes even more so than at Samwell. But every day, when they went out to explore Maine, Dex grew quiet and peaceful. Derek could tell he loved Maine and that it was truly home for him, even if his family could stress him out. Every place he took Derek to he told a story about with a fond look on his face reserved for hockey, Bitty and Chowder, and sometimes even Derek nowadays.   
  
    It was beautiful on him.   
  
    ‘So,’ Derek said, cutting into the silence. ‘What’s the story with this place?’   
  
    ‘Huh?’ Dex’s eyebrows knitted together as if he hadn’t had a story with each and every place before this one.   
  
    ‘Well, you usually have a story behind why you love a place,’ Derek explained anyway. ‘What’s up with this one?’   
  
    ‘Oh, well…when I was seeing guys behind my parents’ back—’ It was no secret at this point at Samwell that Dex was gay; at home, however, was another story. ‘—I would bring them here. Well, when I finally got my license, anyway. They were all too skittish to hook up or whatever around home, so we came here. To a lot of them it was just a convenient place to have sex, but I brought my first boyfriend here for our first date. We were also here when he told me he loved me for the first time.’   
  
    Dex’s face was fond, but not longing. Derek could tell this wasn’t something he was missing, but rather a moment in the past he was happy to have had. Either way, this story brought a lot of questions up for Derek.   
  
    ‘Oh.’ Derek paused, unsure about whether to continue, but decided maybe it was worth it. Maybe this was Dex finally giving all the signs Derek needed. Maybe they needed to stop being so stupid tip-toeing around each other. Maybe Chowder was absolutely right. ‘So…this is a pretty romantic place for you, then?’   
  
    Dex cleared his throat and shifted awkwardly. ‘Yeah. Guess so.’   
  
    ‘And you brought me here,’ Derek continued, eyes eagerly picking up every shift Dex’s expression made — from awkward to embarrassed to determined.   
  
    Dex looked Derek dead in the eye and said, ‘Yeah. It’s special to me.’   
  
    Derek heard the unspoken words there, and let loose a wild grin. ‘You’re too cute.’   
  
    Dex’s cheeks burned hotter than Derek had ever seen before and he scowled. ‘Oh, shut up, Nurse. I should never have—I was just trying to make it nice, and you have to go and—’   
  
    Dex didn’t get to finish his sentence, because Derek had leant in, cradling Dex’s jaw in one hand, and pressed his lips ever so gently against his. Dex tensed for a moment, before melting into it as well. When they finally parted, it was with matching grins.   
  
    ‘So, we should go—’   
  
    Derek interrupted again, but this time with words, ‘Nah. I think we should make out a little while longer, because if I’m going to risk my life again, I want to know I’ve had a life worth lived.’   
  
    ‘ _I know how to fly a plane, you asshole_ —’   
  
    Derek kissed him again, thinking how hot it was that his maybe-boyfriend had a pilot’s license.   
  
    Even if it was only recreational.

**Author's Note:**

> Tumblr: cantfuckinbelievethis


End file.
